Abstract: At approximately 1:00 p.m. on August 12, 1998, Employee #1 was painting the inside of a dipping tank with a liquid resin coating, which produces flammable vapors with a vapor density 2.5 to 4.1 times greater than air, and a lower explosive limit (LEL) of 1.0. Inadequate ventilation was provided by a single fan to reduce the vapor level below the LEL inside the tank. The tank had 54-in. walls and could be only entered and exited through the top. No monitoring was performed to ensure that the LEL had not been exceeded. Approximately 34 in. south of the dipping tank in which Employee #1 was working, a coworker began cutting metal from the outside of another tank using an abrasive wheel. This cutting of metal provided the nearby pool of flammable vapor with a source of ignition. Employee #1 was caught in the burning vapor, and exited the tank using a 5-gallon thinner can as a step. Employee #1 sustained third-degree burns over 90 percent to 100 percent of his body. He died the next day.